If there was weight behind a move then it does give it more credence but I still think that they're are other avenues that the league will try before going back to Hartford, as much as I'd love them too.

Besides the fact that Karmanos never wanted to keep the team in Hartford, the biggest issue the Whalers faced was not getting a strong corporate support from the city. I still believe that if NHL hockey were to work in the state of CT, then any potential ownership group who is looking to build an arena (b/c one is obviously definitely needed) should be looking in the New Haven area. It is closer to the Fairfield County big money and is more accessible then Hartford to the state as a whole. I also believe that the smart thing to do would have been to try to convince the Islanders to come here instead of Brooklyn. It would have been a long shot but I think in the long run would be a better option for that franchise than the Barclays Center.

Besides the fact that Karmanos never wanted to keep the team in Hartford, the biggest issue the Whalers faced was not getting a strong corporate support from the city. I still believe that if NHL hockey were to work in the state of CT, then any potential ownership group who is looking to build an arena (b/c one is obviously definitely needed) should be looking in the New Haven area. It is closer to the Fairfield County big money and is more accessible then Hartford to the state as a whole. I also believe that the smart thing to do would have been to try to convince the Islanders to come here instead of Brooklyn. It would have been a long shot but I think in the long run would be a better option for that franchise than the Barclays Center.

hate to say it, but New Haven has seen its best days pass them by, Icedog, the Coliseum was abandoned, then imploded in favor of the Webster Bank Arena complex (Bridgeport Bluefish/Sound Tigers), and the Islanders chose Brooklyn because Nassau and its adjacent County of Suffolk failed to approve what had been deemed the Lighthouse project as a replacement for NCVMA.

Besides the fact that Karmanos never wanted to keep the team in Hartford, the biggest issue the Whalers faced was not getting a strong corporate support from the city. I still believe that if NHL hockey were to work in the state of CT, then any potential ownership group who is looking to build an arena (b/c one is obviously definitely needed) should be looking in the New Haven area. It is closer to the Fairfield County big money and is more accessible then Hartford to the state as a whole. I also believe that the smart thing to do would have been to try to convince the Islanders to come here instead of Brooklyn. It would have been a long shot but I think in the long run would be a better option for that franchise than the Barclays Center.

No way would it benefit the NYI going to Connecticut nor would the name make much sense. The NYI are rebuilding through the draft and will sign free agents. Brooklyn gives them an opportunity that the Island could not provide. The Islanders have no excuses. The boro of Brooklyn is bigger than most cities in the country. NYC is the media capital of the world. I actually think that the Devils are more compromised by this move.

I miss the Hartford Whaler teams. I have always loved the colors, players, and the uniqueness of the situation (Conn. only professional sports team).
The latter being one of several reasons in todays world why I cant see a new NHL Team in that state.
Way too many teams in the league as we speak. Competition and talent has been watered down for years. No more expansion.

hate to say it, but New Haven has seen its best days pass them by, Icedog, the Coliseum was abandoned, then imploded in favor of the Webster Bank Arena complex (Bridgeport Bluefish/Sound Tigers), and the Islanders chose Brooklyn because Nassau and its adjacent County of Suffolk failed to approve what had been deemed the Lighthouse project as a replacement for NCVMA.

I completely agree and don't have any issue with what you are saying. I'm a New Haven resident and am on the same page with you. I was just saying that IF a hockey team was going to be placed in the state of Connecticut then I think New Haven would serve as a better, more central location than Hartford. I think even with a state of the art arena in Hartford, the Whalers 2.0 would end up encountering the same issues that the first version did. Ultimately, I know it comes down to where there is an ownership willing to own a team but CT in general is behind a lot of cities/areas (Quebec, Seattle, Southern Ontario, on and on) in terms of the NHL giving them a team.

No way would it benefit the NYI going to Connecticut nor would the name make much sense. The NYI are rebuilding through the draft and will sign free agents. Brooklyn gives them an opportunity that the Island could not provide. The Islanders have no excuses. The boro of Brooklyn is bigger than most cities in the country. NYC is the media capital of the world. I actually think that the Devils are more compromised by this move.

I miss the Hartford Whaler teams. I have always loved the colors, players, and the uniqueness of the situation (Conn. only professional sports team).
The latter being one of several reasons in todays world why I cant see a new NHL Team in that state.
Way too many teams in the league as we speak. Competition and talent has been watered down for years. No more expansion.

I agree. I was merely coming at it from the standpoint of the Islanders were without a home on Nassau and rather than adding an expansion team to the area along with the Islanders. I know it "worked" in the 80s and early 90s but that would be too many teams in such a small area for this day and age. Brooklyn and NYC as a whole are a much better fit for the Isles then CT. I just thought it would be an interesting option for the franchise if CT was to build a state-of-the-art, hockey-suitable arena, they may have considered coming here where they can at least keep some of their LI/NYC fan base.

therefore, using math, we can conclude that during the period in the 90's between 1990 and 1997, Hartford outdrew Winnipeg by 4,479 fans. Shame on Winnipeg.

Does what you did really make sense to you or were u being sarcastic? You used a yr where the Jets were already gone from WPG. The only yr that Hartford has higher attendance is the yr where we knew the Jets were gone after it so most people didn't want to support a lame duck season

If the NHL comes back to Connecticut, the team will definitely go to Hartford, not New Haven or points south for several reasons. New Haven has no corporate presence, like Hartford does. Aetna, Travelers, Cigna, UTC, ESPN and many more would all buy boxes for a team in Hartford.
Also, if the state is going to help fund a new arena, it must also be home to UConn basketball and hockey, and that must be in Hartford, too. If you listen to what the Governor said on Sunday, the Hartford television market is also a consideration.
As for the drive? Fairfield to MSG takes longer than Fairfield to the XL Center. Transportation is also a factor. Visiting teams would find great difficulty flying into New Haven, but Bradley Airport in suburban Hartford is easy.

I don't know if we're going to be the next Alberta or anything, I doubt that, but as part of a highly diversified economy, it's got plenty of potential for economic benefit.

While I admit I was fully unaware of Manitoba's oil industry (Ontario has one as well, though even smaller) and it definitely does have the potential to generate some economic benefit, I am not sure it worthy of the praise the previous poster bestowed upon it.

Manitoba's oil reserves sit at 8 million cubic metres as of December 2010 according to a government report that can be found here. That is more than Ontario (2 million), Quebec (0), and the Maritimes (0) but is less than half/almost a third of B.C. and Saskatchewan (19 and 21 million respectively) and not even on the radar when compared to Alberta (172 million) and Newfoundland's Grand Banks (146).

Hartford Courant now reporting that w/ Global Spectrum managing the XL Center, the mid-season rebrand of the MSG Owned franchise might return to original brand that it took when the Whalers sailed to Greensboro, then Raleigh:

Could the Hartford Wolf*Pack rise again like a Phoenix?, MSG has renewed the domain of the previous web domain.

Hartford Courant now reporting that w/ Global Spectrum managing the XL Center, the mid-season rebrand of the MSG Owned franchise might return to original brand that it took when the Whalers sailed to Greensboro, then Raleigh:

Could the Hartford Wolf*Pack rise again like a Phoenix?, MSG has renewed the domain of the previous web domain.

Yup, and if this happens it will mark the death of Hartford Hockey. The last years of the Wolf Pack days they were drawing dangerously close to under 4,000 per game. A lot of bad blood between the Whalers fans in the area and the Rangers. This would be the nail in the coffin.

Yup, and if this happens it will mark the death of Hartford Hockey. The last years of the Wolf Pack days they were drawing dangerously close to under 4,000 per game. A lot of bad blood between the Whalers fans in the area and the Rangers. This would be the nail in the coffin.

nope, and I'll tell you why, Baldwin's fallacy, of the rebranding mid-season, is what turned off the fanbase, once the celebratory outdoor game @ Rentschler, is what is keeping the fanbase away from XL, bobo8192, when Baldwin and WSE got the marketing rights, and then proposed that, that went over like a lead balloon because no business rebrands its franchise 2 months into a season.... XL needs to be replaced at some point fairly soon also.

AEG was allowed to keep the status quo but even they have a conflict of interest, (Manchester)....

nope, and I'll tell you why, Baldwin's fallacy, of the rebranding mid-season, is what turned off the fanbase, once the celebratory outdoor game @ Rentschler, is what is keeping the fanbase away from XL, bobo8192, when Baldwin and WSE got the marketing rights, and then proposed that, that went over like a lead balloon because no business rebrands its franchise 2 months into a season.... XL needs to be replaced at some point fairly soon also.

AEG was allowed to keep the status quo but even they have a conflict of interest, (Manchester)....

The numbers tell and will continue to tell a much different story. The Rangers are not the right fit for the market. I do agree with you though that the re-brand to Whale was done hastily and probably could have used another logo, but the Whale brand is a much stronger brand overall and resonates with the market much more so than the Wolf Pack.

Yup, and if this happens it will mark the death of Hartford Hockey. The last years of the Wolf Pack days they were drawing dangerously close to under 4,000 per game. A lot of bad blood between the Whalers fans in the area and the Rangers. This would be the nail in the coffin.

I would argue the final nail was making the name change to the Whale in the first place, alienating the people who had bought into the Wolf Pack brand for 15 years. It is ridiculous to me that anyone even remotely fell for that nonsense. They still aren't drawing.

I would argue the final nail was making the name change to the Whale in the first place, alienating the people who had bought into the Wolf Pack brand for 15 years. It is ridiculous to me that anyone even remotely fell for that nonsense. They still aren't drawing.